To Kill A Mockingbird- Essay
“I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside”(Lee 304). A younger Jem could not even fathom why someone would choose to stay inside. But Jem has now seen the ugly racism of Maycomb and is starting to understand the world around him. To show this transition from child to adult Harper Lee uses many literary elements. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee uses characterization, symbolism, and setting to show Jem’s coming of age.
In chapter 22, Lee uses characterization to show Jem maturing into a young man. This newfound maturity is shown when Jem comments, “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon… I always thought Maycomb folks were the best in the world, least that's what they seemed like”(Lee 288). Jem’s changing opinion on the folks of Maycomb really shows his advancement into adulthood. As a child, Jem believed that the people of Maycomb were good people, but as he grew up, Jem started to see the racism and prejudice that is ingrained into the society of Maycomb. …show more content…
This transition from child to adult is shown when Scout explains, “ There should have been three little ones… But we understood when she cut from the big cake and gave a slice to Jem”(Lee 288). This scene symbolizes Jem’s coming of age. Instead of giving him a small cake like Scout’s or Dill’s, Miss Maudie gives Jem a slice from the big cake, like she would if he was an adult. She does this because she knows that what Jem experience at the trial has stolen his childhood
“I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside”(Lee 304). A younger Jem could not even fathom why someone would choose to stay inside. But Jem has now seen the ugly racism of Maycomb and is starting to understand the world around him. To show this transition from child to adult Harper Lee uses many literary elements. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee uses characterization, symbolism, and setting to show Jem’s coming of age.
In chapter 22, Lee uses characterization to show Jem maturing into a young man. This newfound maturity is shown when Jem comments, “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon… I always thought Maycomb folks were the best in the world, least that's what they seemed like”(Lee 288). Jem’s changing opinion on the folks of Maycomb really shows his advancement into adulthood. As a child, Jem believed that the people of Maycomb were good people, but as he grew up, Jem started to see the racism and prejudice that is ingrained into the society of Maycomb. …show more content…
This transition from child to adult is shown when Scout explains, “ There should have been three little ones… But we understood when she cut from the big cake and gave a slice to Jem”(Lee 288). This scene symbolizes Jem’s coming of age. Instead of giving him a small cake like Scout’s or Dill’s, Miss Maudie gives Jem a slice from the big cake, like she would if he was an adult. She does this because she knows that what Jem experience at the trial has stolen his childhood